


Royal Knight

by Amrynth



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, M/M, Pining, Tsukkiyama Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-26 02:28:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20036386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amrynth/pseuds/Amrynth
Summary: Prince Kei is being a bit rude to his Knight, Yamaguchi, at the ball where he is supposed to choose a wife.





	Royal Knight

**Author's Note:**

> For TsukkiYama Week 2019, Day 1. Prompt: Royals

Royalty

“Sir? Sir, you have to dance with someone.” 

Kei looked out at the swirling, dancing, bright colors and frowned. He had been dreading this ever since the balls were announced, that he would eventually be forced to dance with someone he didn’t know and didn’t care to know. They were all alike. Vapid, shallow, interested in dancing with him because he was a prince. Because if they were able to impress him there would be his hand in marriage and a place in the line of succession. He didn’t want to be a prize and yet, here he was on display on the royal dias even though he’d been trying to stay out of the light. 

“No, thank you.” Kei pulled his eyes away from the bright colors. 

“But, Tsukki. I mean, sir, if you don’t choose someone at the ball, His Majesty will choose for you.” 

Kei glanced over at the knight, intentionally keeping his expression in its neutral state of bitchiness. “And what’s wrong with that?”

He knew his knight as well as he let himself know anyone and he still enjoyed the way his face flushed pink beneath his freckles, how he struggled to keep his expression from giving anything away, and how Kei could read his thoughts anyway. Of course Yamaguchi would think that he should find love, should marry someone he felt an immediate connection for. 

The royal balls were a tradition at this point and his father and brother had both found their wives in this manner. Kei had resisted the tradition longer than it had been deemed appropriate by his father the king. He was being stubborn, they said, and it was important that he contribute to the royal lineage with an heir and if he wasn’t going to pick someone, his father would. 

While Yamaguchi struggled to find a situationally appropriate response, Kei slid his eyes sideways to look toward Akiteru on the far side of the dais. He had that face on again, the face that said he was so in love with his wife, that of course Kei would find his true love in a single night of dancing. As though that meant he could base his choice on anything other than being the most physically attractive, having the least annoying voice, or simply being a void of personally so she wouldn’t irritate Kei. Certainly none of them were who or what he wanted, none of them were good when the didn’t need to be, believed in chivalry. Perhaps he could luck into the sort of person he could egg into explosion; a boy could dream. He knew better, that Akiteru had aspirations that didn’t align with ruling a kingdom and certainly didn’t align with bearing legitimate heirs.

“Don’t you want to marry for love?” 

Kei’s eyes snapped back to Yamaguchi when he spoke. His face was so earnest, as though he really believed his words. Of course he believed it, even when he was pretending to be as jaded as Kei, Yamaguchi really did believe in things like chivalry and love and being good for the sake of it. He wouldn’t say it to his face but Kei wanted so badly to be as genuine and good as Yamaguchi. No one could be as good as Yamaguchi.

“Do you think people meet their true love in one night of drink and dance?” Kei let his mouth curl into his cruelest smile, intentionally going for his knight’s heart. “In that way lies disappointment in marriage and illegitimate heirs.” 

Yamaguchi’s face immediately fell and Kei took savage pleasure in cutting both of them with sharp words. Maybe he had no control over who he would marry and create more cruel, royal brats with, but he had the power to wound himself and his knight. He couldn’t let himself regret the words, regret saying things that hurt them. He would have a lifetime of regret.

“My father knows which alliances would be the most strategic for the family and for the kingdom. He’ll choose someone whom I can forge an alliance with. Maybe it won't be based on love but you don’t have to love someone to work with them.” Kei paused, choosing his words carefully.

“But you can learn to love someone,” Yamaguchi interrupted his train of thought, still completely earnest and still trying to convince Kei he would live a life of love. 

Kei smiled and pushed his glasses up his nose, hiding the expression and hiding the way his eyes softened with one broad hand. He didn’t look Yamaguchi in the eye, couldn’t meet his knight’s gaze when he spoke, but he certainly wasn’t thinking of an unknown woman he would marry when he did. “I know that’s possible. Marriage doesn’t mean I can’t live without loving someone.” 

He hated the sound of the words coming out of his mouth but, in the corner of his eye, he saw Yamaguchi’s face light up. Somehow that made it better. Somehow, even married to someone he didn’t know, living with his knight at his side didn’t seem to be so bad. Although no one would ever hear him say that.


End file.
